Corer and slicer



April 2, 1946.- l H, LU T 2,397,496

CORER AND SLICER Filed March 31, 1945 III INVENTQR Jame Has/v luA r ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 2, 1946 1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CORER AND SLICER Jerry Helen Lunt, Forest Hills, N. Y. I

Application March 31, 1945, Serial No. 585,951 (01. 30-302) T I 6 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in a corer and slicer for fruits, vegetables, and other foods, and has for a principal object the pro- .vision of a tool adapted to be set to make slices of various thicknesses.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a corer and slicer in which some of the blades extend radially from the corer body and are secured to an annular ring, and in which other blades are swin-gably mounted on the corer body and are adapted to be swung upwardly to engage holding clips on the corer body, or swun downwardly and locked into cutting positions.

vOther objects and advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon a study of'the following specification.

Reiefring to the drawing: which is merely given by way of illustration:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my new and improved corer and slicer showing all of the blades in their normal cutting positions;

Figure 2 is a sectional elevation showing one of the swingable blades normally locked in its cutting position, and showing how it may be swun upwardly to a non-cutting position; and

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the end of the blade shown in Figure 2, a bladelocking ring being shown in a position where it disengages said blade.

Referring first to Figure 1, a tubular member ID has a hollow interior I I, and has its lower end sharp and adapted to cut a core of a vegetable or fruit. As the device is pushed downwardly on the same, the core enters the hollow interior ll.

Secured to the lower end of the tubular member ID (in the example given) are four fixed blades. Three of these may be seen in Figure 1, and are designated as I2, l3 and, I4, These fixed blades are fixedly secured to both the lower end of the tubular member l and also to the outer ring l5.

Between the fixed blades l2 and I3 are (in the example given) two movable blades l6 and I1. It will be understood, of course, that I may employ less than two blades between the fixed blades, or more than two.

These movable blades are substantially identical, and the description of one of them will suifice for all. In Figure 2, one of these blades is designated by the numeral ll. It has a lug portion I8 formed integral therewith and the left end of this lug, as seen in Figure 2, is rounded, so as to form a working fit in. a groove formed on the corer body Ill. The other end of the blade I1 is notched out from above and from below to form a tongue which, when the blade is in its cutting position, extends into a slot 2| formed in the ring I5. I

Mounted on the ring l5"is a second ring 22. This ring at the position of each movable blade has a vertical slot 23 formed therein, and a circumferential slot 24 communicates with the slot 23, thereby forming a locking-tongue 25.

The ring 22 is retained on the ring l5 by means of a plurality of elongated slots, one of which is shown at 26, and in each slot 26 i positioned the shank 21 of a rivet which is riveted into the rin Hi. The shank 21 forms a workin fit with the slot 26, and is so positioned on the ring l5 that the ring 22 is permitted to move a sufilcient distance to the left, as seen in Figures 1 and 3, for the locking-tongue 25 to override the tongue 20 and thus retain or look the blade I! in its downward or cutting position. When the ring 22- is moved to the position shown in Figure 3, the blade I! is unlocked and may be freely swung upwardly, as shown in dot-dash lines (as shown in Figure 2)' to the dotted position, where. it is engaged and retain in such position by entering between adjacent corrugations 28 carried on the tubular corermember l0.

A wire 29 may pass, through holes in the lugs l8 on all of the blades to form pivotal supports therefor. Between all of the other fixed blades are pairs of movable blades exactly like those described above in connection with Figure 2, and

I have found that a simple way of securin the blades to the corer body is by passing the wire through all of the holes in the lugs l8 and twisting the ends of the wire together as is at present done in umbrellas.

In using my new and improved device, if it is desired to core and quarter food items, all of the movable blades may be swung upwardly and retained in such position by pushing them between adjacent corrugations 28, thereby leaving only the four fixed blades in operative cutting positions.

Movable blades Hi and ll are positioned between the fixed blade l3 and the fixed blade l4, blades I! and l6 are positioned between the fixed blade l2 and the fixed blade opposite the fixed blade [3, and movable blades W and I6 are positioned between said opposite blade and fixed blade I4.

From the above description it will be seen that the user may, at will, set the device to make slices of any desired thickness, within the limits of the device.

Although I have herein shown and described, by way of example, a cutting device having, in addition to fixed blades, a plurality of movable blades adapted to be selectively positioned in cutting or non-cutting positions, it is obvious that many changes may be made in the arrangements herein .shown and described without departing from the terspersed between said firstblades and pivotally carried on said inner support, and means carriedv on said outer support for locking any number of said movable blades in said cutting plane. 2. In a food slicer, a plurality of radially disposed blades, some of said blades being fixedly positionedin a cutting plane and permanently secured between a handle forming an inner support and an annular outer support radially spaced apart therefrom, others of said blades being pivotally mounted on said inner support and adapted to be selectively swung into or out of said cutting plane, means on said handle adapted to be engaged by said last blades when the'y are' swung out of said cutting plane, and means carried on said outer support for locking said, blades after they are swung into said cutting plane. a V

, 3. In afood slicer, a tubular member carrying a handle, an annular ring spaced apart from said tubular member and having its lower edgesubstantially in line with the end of said member, a plurality of radially disposed blades some of which are fixedly positioned in the cutting plane substantially even with said end and permanently secured between said member and said annular rim, others of said blades being pivotally mounted on said member and adapted to be selectively swung'into or out of said cutting plane, means on said handle adapted to-be engaged by said last blades when they are swung out of said cutting plane, and means carried on said rim for looking said blades after they are swung into said cutting plane.

4. A food slicer according to claim 3 in which said means on said handle constitutes a corrugated or crimped strip embracing said member and secured thereto, whereby any blade swung upwardly from the cutting plane may be engaged between adjacent corrugations and retained thereby.

5. The invention according to claim 2 in which said outer support constitutes an annular ring having slotsiormed therein in alignment with said pivotally mounted blades and in which said last mentioned blades each has a tongue portion adapted to enter a slot when the blade is swung into said cutting plane, the means carried on said outer support constituting an annular ring carrying portions adapted to be moved over the tongues in said slots for retaining any of said pivotally mounted blades in the cutting plane.

6. In a food slicer, an elongated member having its lower end sharpened and adapted to function as a corer, a handle mounted on the upper end of said member, an annular ring surrounding the lower end of said member, a plurality of fixed blades secured to both said tubular member and said annular ring, a plurality of movable blades extending radially from said tubular member and disposed in groups between said fixed blades, a slot formed in said annular ring in line with each of said movable blades, a tongue formed on the outer end of each of said movable blades, each tongue being adapted to be positioned in said slot, means pivotally securing the other ends of said movable blades to said member, whereby they may be selectively swung upwardly a corrugated band embracing said tubular member and spaced apart from said pivotal means, whereby any of said movable blades swung upwardly may be engaged by adjacent corrugations and retained in a non-cutting position, and means carried on the outside of said annular ring for engaging the tongues of any of said movable blades in said slots and retaining them in cutting positions.

JERRY HELEN LUN T. 

